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Lahoud’s FC Cincinnati eyeing victory in semi-final play-off

Michael Lahoud’s United Soccer League side, FC Cincinnati and New York Red Bulls II will battle it out in the 2018 Eastern Conference Semi-finals at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.

Lahoud, 32, who joined Cincinnati on April 18, 2018, has been a pivotal figure in the team playing over 23 games this season.

They advanced past the conference quarterfinals for the first time in their history with a 6-5 victory in a penalty shootout last Saturday against Nashville SC after a 1-1 full-time scoreline.

The result extended FCC’s undefeated streak to 24 games in league play, a run that began with a 2-1 victory against the Red Bulls II on June 2 when Cincinnati rallied to win at Red Bull Arena.

The Red Bulls II, also looking to advance to the conference final for a third consecutive season as it squares off with the 2018 USL Regular Season champion.

The tie is expected to kick-off 4 pm ET and can be watched live on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally and followed live via the USL Match Centre.

FCC also recorded a 2-1 victory against New York at Nippert Stadium on July 21, although the Red Bulls II’s Tom Barlow almost found a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors in that contest as he hit the crossbar with a late chance.